
How can we enjoy a better lifestyle?
'Easy' I hear you say, all you need is a few million dollars a beautiful home a happy loving family and all the time in the world to sit back relax and enjoy life's pleasures.
Well wouldn't that be a simple solution! A short trip to see the friendly bank manager and all your problems are in the past; hmmm maybe not - so on the basis that you're like me and don't expect any windfalls in the coming weeks here are 5 simple tips to improving your lifestyle.
1: Take an amount of time out for yourself everyday. As a busy Mom or Dad it's so easy to get so totally wrapped up in our responsibilities to family and friends that we neglect ourselves. Find clever ways to give yourself a little personal time, it can be as simple as a long luxurious soak in a hot bath or the peace and solitude of sitting down to your favourite novelist - the important thing is to take a little time out for yourself every single day.
2: Make a special time for your family everyday. I'm not talking about hours of deep and meaningful conversation with the whole family sat at the fireside; it's rare that any of us get time for such things! But how about making sure that everyone sits down for one meal a day together and chats about their day and its highs and low? Not forced and artificial insincere 'therapy' ? that's not the idea - just a chat among family about the way the day went for them.
3: Don't worry about what hasn't happened. Paranoia seems to be pervasive in today's information rich society; we spend far too much time worrying about things that we simply have no control over - from bird flu to mad cow's disease. If you're not employed to find the cure or responsible for passing it on then there's little you can do?don't waste time worrying! 24 hour news programs can add to the feeling of being out of control in a mad world, turn the TV off or over and try not to overdose on the sea of sensationalist headlines.
4: Help with things that you can do something about. It's good to give and we all feel a little better for helping out, so maybe try a little fund raising for the local dog's home or for children in need - choose something that's dear to your heart, and remember it's not about how much or how little you can afford to give, rather it's all about making a little bit of effort for those less fortunate and it's about the feeling of self-worth that comes from helping out where ever you can in life.
5: Enjoy the simple pleasures in life. With work pressures and the strain of modern day living it's easy to miss the more simple pleasures in life. Take your family out for a picnic or for a stroll along the beach or through a country park, take a cool drink outside and watch the sunset, find the simple pleasures that make life so much more special and worth living.
Rhiannon Williamson is the publisher of Shelter Offshore an online magazine designed to help and assist people who are seeking new lives abroad. If you'd like to read more of her articles about better living and starting a new life abroad please visit her website's living abroad pages at http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/liv ing/
AP - Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour lull to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage.
AP - Pink slips are piling higher as companies scramble to cut costs even deeper to survive the country's economic and financial storms.
AP - Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.
AP - Senate Democrats beat a hasty retreat Wednesday from their rejection of Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor, yielding to pressure from Obama himself and from senators irked that the standoff was draining attention and putting them in a bad light. Burris said with a smile he expected to join them "very shortly."
AP - Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club.
AP - Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.
AP - The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is an attractive target for international and domestic terrorists, but U.S. intelligence officials have no information about specific threats to the Jan. 20 event.
AP - Holy, People's Choice Awards, Batman! "The Dark Knight" soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the 35th annual fan-favorite CBS ceremony. The caped crusader flick won five awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale's Batman and the late Heath Ledger's Joker.
AP - Jeremy Lin scored 27 points to lead Harvard to an 82-70 upset over No. 17 Boston College on Wednesday night, three days after the Eagles upset previously top-ranked North Carolina.
AP - Eric Mangini is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, a week after being fired by the New York Jets. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that Mangini will be introduced Thursday at a news conference at the team's headquarters in Berea.
Reuters - Israeli warplanes bombed the Gaza Strip on Thursday and tanks pounded Palestinian guerrillas on the ground as U.S. backing for a proposed truce raised expectations of an end to the offensive.
Reuters - A fresh wave of profit warnings and job cuts soured investor sentiment on Thursday after an employment report suggested U.S. job losses in December could be the worst in almost 60 years.
Reuters - In an abrupt switch, Democratic leaders began talks on Wednesday to swear in Roland Burris, appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.
Reuters - The U.S. budget deficit will swell to a record $1.186 trillion in fiscal 2009, congressional forecasters said on Wednesday, the result of an economic recession that has cut tax receipts and caused massive government bailouts of banks and automakers.
Reuters - The case of Ali al-Marri, accused of being an al Qaeda "sleeper" agent and held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, will be an early test for President-elect Barack Obama.
Reuters - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning has made 388 people sick across 42 states, sending 18 percent of them to the hospital, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.
Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff should be jailed for violating a court order by mailing $1 million worth of diamonds, watches and other jewelry to friends and family, U.S. prosecutors told a court on Wednesday.
AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.
AFP - Envoys from Russia and Ukraine go to Brussels on Thursday for emergency EU-brokered talks to resolve a bitter gas fight between the two ex-Soviet giants that has engulfed Europe in a major energy crisis.
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